Condenser



Sept. l0, 1929. J. A. 613B CoNDENsER iwf Patented Sept. 10, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' JOHN A. GIBB, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO PETROLEUM DERIVATIVES IN- CORPORATED, OF MAINE, F PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

CONDENSEB.

Application led May 7, 1927. Serial No. 189,508.

f rlhis invention relates to condensers and pertains morey particularly to jcondensers which are especially adapted for use in fractional distillation processes such as the distillation of petroleum, for example.

1t is an object of this invention to provide a condenser which shall be simple and inexpensive to construct. It is a further object of the invention to provide a condenser in which the condensed liquid is collected at a point suiiiciently removed from the cooling surfaces of the condenser that the heat contained in the high boiling point constituents of the condensed liquid may be available to revaporize some of the low boiling constituents which have been condensed, whereby the flash point of the condensate may be improved.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention l selected for purposes of illustration is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which.7

Figure 1-is a longitudinal sectional view.- Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1, and Y y Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line-3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the condenser comprises a casing 1 preferably substantially cylindrical, having an inlet 'port 2' and an outlet portf3 forming vintake and discharge openings respectively for vapors which'are to be condensed. fVlfithin the casing 1 is sil ferred to as the A bank while thetother bank of tubes will be referred to as thefB bank.

Mounted above the tube plate 6 is a cover plate 8 having a pair of recesses 9 andlO 5o formed therein, the recess 9 communicating arranged a baffle plate 4 which is preferably For convenience one bank of tubes will be rewith the inlet openings of all of the tubes 7 of both A and B banks, while the lrecess 10 communicates with the outlet o enings of all the tubes 7 of both the A and B anks. Connected with the recess 9 is an intake conduit 55 11 and connected to the recess 10 is a discharge conduit 12 throughv which conduits the cooling medium may be led into the condenser and circulated through the tubes and discharged from the condenser.

ln order to secure'the tube plate 6 and the cover 8 to the casing 1, the collar 13 may be provided through which the bolts 14 are passed, nuts 15 belngy provided to hold the tube plate in. place and nuts 16 being provided to, secure the cover plate. It will be observed thatby reason of this'arrangement it is possible'to remove the cover from the condenser (if this is desirable for any rea-J ,son such as to blow out the tubes, for example) without interfering with the liowof vapors through the condenser, and without breaking the vacuum in the System if the condenser is used in connection with a vacuum distillation process. Furthermore, if several condensers of the type illustrated are connected in series, one or more may be cut out ofthe system at any time simply by cutting olf the flow of cooling medium', and the vapors then pass through to the next unit.

The bottompof the casing 1 is closed by the plate 18 which carries' the well 19 in which is locatedoneend ofthe overflow pipe 20, the said pipe passing through the side of the, casing'through the opening21 at a point located above the `level of the` bottom of the condenser, but below the level of the cooling tubes 7., f

When the apparatus is in operat10n va- `pors are'introduced through the intake conduit and are deflected upwardly by the baflle 4 to secure contact thereof with the A l bank of cooling tubes. As the vapors reach discharge pipe 20 is such as to cause a pool name to this specification this 6th' day of of oil to form at the bottom of the condenser May, 1927. JOHN A. GIBB.

and in the well 19, the well I9 serving as a Y sedimentcollector to remove from the distillate any dirt or foreign matter which may nd its way into the condenser. It will also be observed that the surface of the said pool of oil is suiiiciently removed from the cooling tubes so that the cooling effect of the said tubes thereon is negligible. Accordingly, the said pool of oil is hot and is continually receiving additional quantities of hot distillate from the sections of the con-v denser above. The high boiling point constituents which are condensed are at a tem perature suiioiently in excess of the boiling points of some of the lower boiling point constituents. so that the said high boiling point constituents provide the latent heat necessary to cause some of the said low boiling point constituents to be revaporized, whereupon the vapors passNinto the vapor stream and eventually pass out of the condenser. It will also beobserved that the cooling tubes 7 may expand and contract freely and without constraint under the influence of changes in temperature.

If, for any reason, the pipe 20 becomes blocked up 'so that condensate cannot pass therethrough, the liquid level rises until it reaches the port 3, and the condensate then overflows intothe next succeeding unit. The operation of the condenser is not affected in such event, however, for vapors may -still pass through the condenser as before.

If desired, a heating coil (not shown) may be located in the bottom of the condenser to supply additional heat to assist in the re- .discharge ports, a cooling surface, means to -cause a pool of condensate to be collected,

in said condenser, said cooling surface being e out ofy contact with said pool of condensate,

said inlet and discharge ports being located 1n close proximity to said pool, whereby the heat from vapors passing through said condenser 'may revaporize low boiling point vconstituents of the condensate. i

2. In a condenser having vapor inlet and v discharge ports, a cooling surface, means to cause a pool of condensate to be collected in l said condenser, said cooling surface being out of .contact with said pool of condensate, Asaid inletandvdischarge ports being located I'to permit the heat froml 'vapors passing #through said -condenser to revaporize low boiling point constituents of the condensate.

In testimony whereof, ,I have siglqled. my 

